OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) inducted 11 members on Wednesday evening to its National Softball Hall of Fame while also announcing the eight members nominated to be inducted in 2009.
The Class of 2008 included five players and six others for dedicated service to the ASA. The newly inducted members include Mitch Munthe, Modesto, Calif. (Fast Pitch Player); Jim Marsh, Yukon, Okla. (Fast Pitch Player); Jenni Harp Oliver, Chattanooga, Tenn. (Slow Pitch Player); Roberta (Robbie) Mulkey, California (Fast Pitch Player); Kermit Lynch of Oklahoma City, Okla. (Fast Pitch Player); Jerry Stewart, Arcola, Ill. (meritorious service); Freddie and Virginia Ezell, Midland, Texas (meritorious service); Garland Thompson of Wilmore, Ky. (commissioner); Kevin Ryan of Stanley, NC (umpire) and Ron Galemore of Gaithersburg, Md. (umpires).
The 2009 Class includes eight people that were selected at the 77th ASA National Council meeting this week in Oklahoma City, Okla. The eight people will be enshrined next year in Reno, Nev. when the ASA celebrates its 29th Annual Hall of Fame Induction celebration.
The four players selected include Leah O’Brien Amico, Corona, Calif. (Fast Pitch Player); Al Yeager, Seymour, Conn. (Fast Pitch Player); Allyson Rioux, (Deceased)-Stamford, Conn. (Fast Pitch Player); Jeff Seip, Boyertown, Pa. (Fast Pitch Player).
Four people were elected in the non-playing category and include Ben Bunch, Enid, Okla. (Meritorious Service); Tony Walsh, Memphis, Tenn. (Umpire); R.B. Thomas, Manassas, Va. (Manager); and Newton Buchner, Brooklyn, NY (Umpire).
The ASA National Softball Hall of Fame was established in 1957 and honors players and non players during annual induction ceremonies held at the ASA National Council Meeting each year. With these eight inductees, the Hall of Fame will have 340 members.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 84 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com.